Butane system



July 29, 1941.

J. E. BROWNING BUTANE SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 13, 1959 7? E'Brown/ng wrrwess July 29, 1941.

J. E. BROWNING BUTANE SYSTEM Filed Dec. 13, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 @Q n dlllllll v w 1 llllrl 0 T r Q% Q 5 MN 7 E W S S M w w J. E. BROWNING July 29, 1941.

BUTANE SYSTEM Filed Deci. 13, 1939 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 29, 1941. J. E. BROWNING BUTANE SYSTEM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 1.3, 1939 WI NESS Patented July 29, 1941 BUTANE SYSTEM James E. Browning, San Antonio, Tex. Application December 13, 1939, Serial No. 309,081

5 Claims The invention aims to provide a novel and advantageous system for storing butane, isobutane, protane or the like (hereinafter referred to only as butane) and keeping the same in gaseous form and at substantially uniform pressure, primarily but not necessarily for domestic use.

The invention relates to a system in which a water boiler is utilized during cold weather to circulate hot water through aheat exchanger .in the butane storage tank, the boiler also serving to supply hot water for domestic or other purposes,

equipment for filling, gauging the quantity ofcontents, etc., disposed in a casing 22 having a 'cover 23, this cover being preferably sufiiciently above the ground level to exclude flood waters.

and a further object is to make novel provision V whereby the heating means for the boiler is controlled both by a thermostat subjected to the water temperature in the boiler and by a pressurestat subjected'to the pressure in the butane tank,

said heating means being normally under the control of said thermostat to maintain the water at a normal temperature and being under the control of said pressurestat to heat the water to an abnormally high temperature whenever the pressurein the butane tank drops to apredetern mined low, thereby s0 heating the butane as to restore the pressure to normal.

With the foregoing and minor objects in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accom- .panying drawings,

Figure lis a side elevation partly broken away and insection showing the completesystem.

Figure 6 is a view similarto Fig. 2, but showing pressurestat 52 expanded due to low pressure in the butane" tank and showing the burner valve under the influence of said expanded pressurestat. I

Figure 7 is a diagram showing the ignition means for the igniting burner.

A butane. storage tank 20 is shown having a heat exchanger 2|, said'tank 20 being shown embedded in the ground and having all necessary operating means moved to burner-on position The various portions of the gas discharge line leading from the tank 20, are shown at 24, and

said line contains the conventional pressure r'eg-' ulator 25, cutoff valve 26 and 're-vaporizer 21. A branch line 28 extends from the line 24 to a gas valve casing 29, which casing is provided with two spring-closed valves '30 and 3| for controlling flow of gas from the branch 28 to a pair of pipes 32 and 33, said pipe 32 extending to amain burner 34 while the pipe -33 extends to an igniting burner 35 for said main burner. The burner 34 heats the water in an appropriate boiler 36, and said boiler 36 is connected by lead and return lines 31 and 38 with the heat exchanger 2|. While the lead line 31 is shown extending from the lower portion of the boiler 36 and the return line 38 connects with the upper portion of said boiler, contrary to expectations, this relation of lines and boiler is due to special internal construction of the latter forming no part of the present invention, :the boiler being disclosed in my U. S. application Serial No. 318,976, filed February 14, 1940. The boiler 36 preferably contains a coil or the like to heat water for domestic or other purposes, and the piping leading to and from said coil is illustrated at 39. preferably provided to keep the boiler filled to a predetermined extent, and 40 simply denotes the cold water supply piping for said means.

Operating means for the valves 30 and 3| is shown of substantially the same construction as that illustrated in my pending U. S. application Serial No. 188,159, filed February 1, 1938, now matured into Patent No. 2,208,719, issued July 23, 194-0, and igniting means is diagrammatically sage of gas tothe main burner 34. Coiled tension springs 4| and 421 are provided to swing the arms 4| and 42 .to valve opening position (Fig. 5 and-to'valve-closed position (Fig. 3) when said springs'are "moved into such relation with the arm pivots as to permit, them to snap 'Automatic means are also the arms in one direction or the other. A rod 43 is slidably mounted-and serves as an'anchor for the inner ends of the springs 4| and 42'. When this rod is moved in the direction of the arrow 44, it causes ,the springs 4| and 42' to swing the arms 4| and 42 to the valve opening positions shown in Fig. 5. When the rod 43 is shifted in the opposite direction as indicated by arrow 44' the springs 4| and 42' snap the arms 4| and away from the valves as seen in Fig. 3, permitting said valves to close. The parts are so timed that arm 4|- opens the igniting.

burner valve 3| ahead of the opening of valve 30 by arm 42, supplying gas first to the igniting burner 35. Arm 4| also strikes a contact 45, completing the ignition circuit for the electrodes 46 which ignite the igniting burner 35. By the time this has occurred, arm 42 has opened valve.

38 and the gas supply to the main burner 34 is ignited by means of the igniting burner 35. Movement of arm 42 to its valve opening position, opens a switch 41, breaking the ignition circuit. I

A spring 48 is provided exerting a constant force tending to move the rod 43 in the burneron position indicated by the arrow. 44, and a thermostat 49 and lever 59 are provided to move said rod 43 in the burner-off direction indicated by arrow 44', said thermostat being subjected to the temperature of the water in the boiler 36 and having sufiicient strength to overcome the spring 48 when the thermostat is expanded to a predetermined extent by rise in the water temperature. A yieldable connection 5| is provided between the lever 50 and the rod 43, said yieldable connection being of such strength that it does not appreciably yield when said lever is moved by the thermostat 49 to move the rod 43 in burner-off direction (arrow 44') The connection 5|, however, does yield under certain circumstances hereinafter described.

A pressurestat 52 is connected by a lost-motion connection 53 with the rod 43, said pres,

surestat being within a casing 54 and subjected to the pressure in the butane tank 28, said casing being connected with the gas discharge line 24 of said tank by a suitable branch 55. The pressurestat 52 and its casing 54, together with the other elements within said casing, may well pressurestat remains in this high-pressure position, the rod 43 isunder the control of the spring 48 and the thermostat 49 so that said thermostat and spring may function to control the burner valves in such manner as to maintain a more or less uniform water temperature in the boiler 36 which circulates water through the heat exchanger 2| in tank 20. However, the lost-motion connection 53 is such that when the pressurestat 52 expands under the influence of low pressure in the butane tank 20 (see Fig. 6), said connection pulls upon the rod 43 as shown in this figure, thereby moving said rod in burneron direction as indicated by arrow 44, causing the mechanism to open the fuel valves and ignite the burner. This may occur when the thermostat 49, lever 50 and yieldable connectionil have been holding the rod 43 in burner-off position,

but the pull of the pressurestat 52 plus the push and associated" elements are preferably housed in a suitable casing C having a door D and a of the spring 48 will overcome the strength of the yieldable connection 5|, causing this connection to yield and prevent it from interfering with the movement of rod 43 to burner-on position (see Fig. 6) The burners being thus thrown into play by the movement of the pressurestat 52 to its low-pressure position, the water in the boiler 36 will be heated to an abnormally high temperature and circulated through the heat ex-' changer 2|, so heating the butane in the tank 20 as to restore the pressure in this tank to normal. When this normal pressure has been attained, it again contracts the pressurestat 52 and incident to such contraction, the yieldable connection 5| again expands, the strength of this connection being such as to overcome the spring 48 and move the rod 43 back to burneroff position.

It will be seen from the foregoing that normally, that is, when the predetermined pressure exists in the butane tank 20', the boiler burners will be under the control of the thermostat 49 and spring 48 to maintain the temperature of the water at a predetermined normal, not only for circulation through the heat exchanger 2|, but to provide hot water for domestic or other uses. Moreover, it will be seen that regardless of the position which the rod 43 may occupy when the pressure in the butane tank 20 reaches a predetermined low, the pressurestat 52 will act to either throw the burners into operation or to hold them in operation, as the case may be.

The lost-motion connection 53, in the present disclosure, includes a sleeve 55 secured to a rod 51 which is moved by means of the pressurestat 52 and may be considered as forming a part of said pressurestat. Opposite sides of the sleeve 58 are provided with longitudinal slots 58 and the slotted portion of said sleeve slidably receives one end of' the rod 43, said rod end being provided with a pin 59 which is operable in the slots 58. As long as the pressurestat 52 occupies a relatively high-pressure position (see Figs. 4 and 5), the pin 59 may ride idly in the slots 58 with the movements of the rod 43 eflected by spring 48 and thermostat 49. However, as soon as the pressurestat 52 moves to its low-pressure position (Fig. 6), the ends of the slots 58 remote fromsaid pressurestat, pull upon the pin 59, thus pulling rod 43 in the burner-on direction indicated by arrow 44, opening the valves 38 and 3| for the boiler burners and bringing the ignition means into play to light the fuel. Obviously,-if thepressurestat 52 has expanded with the thermostat 49 in burner-on position, heating of v the water to the normal temperature for which the thermostat is set will cause said thermostat to move lever 58 in burner-01f direction but this will simply cause the connection 5| to compress as seen in Fig. 6 and will not move rod 43 to burner-oil" position, which latter movement will occur, however, when thejpressurestat 52 has reached its high-pressure position due to restoration of pressure in the butane tank 20.

The pressurestat, valve-actuating mechanism vent pipe V, as shown in Fig. 1, complying with the regulations of. the National Board of Fire tank provided with a heat exchanger, a water heating tank connected with said heat exchanger for circulating hot water therethrough, and heating means for said water tank; controlling means Y for said heating means including a thermostat subjected to the water temperature in said water tank and a pressurestat subjected to the pressure in said butane tank, said controlling means being normally under the control of said thermostat to maintain the water in said water tank at a predetermined normal temperature, said controlling means being abnormally under the control of said pressurestat to effect heating of the water in said water tank to an abnormally high temperature when the pressure in said butane tank drops to a predetermined low.

2. In a butane system having a butane storage tank provided with a heat exchanger, a water heating tank connected with said heat exchanger for circulating hot water therethrough, a gas burner for heating said water tank, and gas conducting means connecting said burner with said butane tank, said gas conducting means having a valve for controlling the-supply of gas to said burner; operating means for said valve including a thermostat subjected to the water temperature in said water tank, and a pressurestat subjected to the pressure in said butane tank, said valve-operating means being normally under the control of said thermostat to maintain the water in said water tank at a predetermined norheat applied to said water tank and shiftable.

in the other direction to decrease the heat applied to said watertank, means for shifting said movable member as required to maintain a normal temperature of the water in said water tank, said shifting means including a thermostat subjected to the water temperture in said water tank, and additional means for shifting said movable member in heat-increasing direction regardless of the first mentioned shifting means when the pressure in said butane tank drops to. a predetermined low, said additional shifting means including a pressurestat subjected to the pressure in said butane tank.

4. In a butane system having a butane storage tank provided with a heat exchanger, a water heating tank connectedwith said heat exchanger for circulating hot Water therethrough, and heating means for said water tank; controlling means for said heating means including a movable member shiftable in one direction to increase the heat applied to said water tank and shiitable in the other direction to decrease the heat'applied to said water tank, spring means constantly tending'to shift said member in said one direction, thermostatic means capable of overcoming said spring means and shifting said member in said other direction, said thermostatic means having a thermostat subjected to the water temperature in said tank, a yieldable connection between said thermostatic means and said member and of sufiicient strength to prevent it from yielding appreciably when said thermostatic means moves said member, a pressurestat subjected. to the pressure in said butane tank and movable under the influence of said pressure for shifting said member in said one direction when the pressure in said butane tank drops to a predetermined low, and a lost-motion connection between said pressurestat and said member, the lost-motion of said lost-motion connection being suflicient to permit the required movements of said member under the influence of the aforesaid spring means and thermostatic means to ,maint-ain a normal temperature of the water in said water tank whenever said pressurestat occupies a relatively high-pressure position, said lost-motion connection being eifective to operatively connect said pressurestat with said member during movement of said pressurestat to its low-pressure position, the low-pressure movement of said pressurestat plus the force exerted by the aforesaid spring means being sufficiently forcible to cause yielding of the aforesaid yieldable connection between said thermostatic means and said member if said lowpressure-movement occurs when said thermostatic means is holding said member in heatdecreasing position.

5. A structure as specified in claim 2; together with a fire-wall or casing having a vent and a door and containing said valve and said valveoperating means and pressurestat to segregate them from said gas burner, said fire wall or housing having an opening through which a portion of the thermostat of said valve-operating means extends.

JAMES E. BROWNING. 

